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Does Your Insurance Company’s Wellness Plan Help You Be Healthier?

Health insurance can be an aggressive topic for many Americans. Controversial national policies have been highly debated through out the land. Premiums can range by the thousands depending on your companies’ health care provider, the plan you join and what’s offered to you.

Many insurance companies have implemented ‘Wellness Plans’ that are designed to encourage you to actively participate in your health-life-plan. They tie regular check ups and consistent exercise to bonuses and rewards. Many employers have gone further and put a monetary consequence in place, if an employee refuses to answer questions regarding their personal stresses and health history or refuse to have blood tests to check for high cholesterol and blood sugar screenings.

Many corporations provide fitness rooms on worksite, or discounted gym membership opportunities to encourage the reduced stress and health benefits of regular exercise.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, two-thirds of companies that have three or more employees and provide health benefits offer at least one wellness plan in hopes of reducing their medical insurance burden and even reduce the number of sick days their employees take.

Some employees resent their employers request for personal information regarding time that they are off the clock. But do these programs work? Many studies have shown a connection between preventative medical interventions, regular fitness, and lower medical expenses. Examples abound of employers offering a wide range of programs, whether they are required or voluntary, and their participants moving into lower-risk categories. The University of Iowa states they save over $3.28 million a year because of a decline in sick days of their employees. For a University budget that is a significant number.

Most overall statistics show that programs that reward participation and results are met with fewer complaints than penalty-driven programs. According to Michelle Mello, a professor of law and public health at the Harvard School of Public Health, the programs that penalize employees if they smoke, are overweight or have high blood pressure, but don’t have programs of fitness, availability of nutrition info or counseling, don’t see such effective success rates.

Sharing my passion for healthy living recipes, fitness ideas, and health hacks is so important to me, I hope that more and more employees have an opportunity to have positive health programs available to them

I began Paula’s HealthyLiving.com to share my passion for staying fit, eating healthy and scheduling rest time. As a 50 year old mother of 3, I understand that it can be difficult to make healthy meals, exercise and carve out time for you, while constantly doing this juggling act called, life!

Healthy eating and exercising on a regular basis gives me self-confidence and personal satisfaction. I encourage my readers to eat whole foods instead of processed foods that are not as nutritious because that processing removes the nutritious elements in the food. They do not help you achieve your body-shape or long-term health goals. When I cook my families’ food, I’m in control of the sugar, salt, and the type of oils used.

It is difficult to resist temptations of fast foods, desserts, soda pop, and skipping workouts, but by making a commitment to your ‘best health’, you can be successful! Change your view toward healthy foods as fuel for all your systems. Take control. Educate yourself your family.

I don’t believe any ONE PERSON has all the answers. Be open minded but critical. Be logical, but have wild-abandon. Know that baby steps begin before a sprint…and love yourself for trying!!!